1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to entertainments systems to be mounted in the passenger compartment of an automobile.
2. Background Art
Over time, motor vehicles have evolved in complexity with consumer expectations demanding the inclusion of modern electronic devices that are not necessarily related to automobile driveablity. Examples of electronic devices that are being incorporated in automobiles are global positioning devices, entertainment systems such as DVD player, TVs, CD players, video game systems, and the like.
It is desirable that the incorporation of these electronic components integrate into a motor vehicle compartment in an aesthetically pleasing manner with a minimal amount of vehicle passenger compartment space being sacrificed. Several prior art systems and methods are known for mounting monitors in airplanes and buses for personal viewing by the occupant of a given seat. U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,447 (“the '447 patent”) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,263 (“the '263 patent) disclose such systems. Although these systems may be satisfactory for their intended applications, the systems of the '447 patent and the '263 patent are less useful for normal passenger automobile applications. In such passenger vehicles, personal viewing is generally not as desirable as viewing by several people typically seated in the back seat of a car or in the rear seats of SUVs or vans. Inclusion of one monitor for each passenger seat in a passenger vehicle is too expensive and impractical. Another consideration is that typically not every seat in an passenger vehicle has an armrest. Moreover, many of the stowable prior art entertainment systems tend to be complex thereby potentially increasing the costs of their incorporation into automobile passenger compartments.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the prior art for improved entertainment systems particularly suited for integration into the passenger compartments of passenger cars, SUVs, and vans.